Matrix and matrix-distributing mechanism



(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 1. W. BERRI. MATRIX AND MATRIX DISTRIBUTING MECHANISM.

No. 557,541. Patented Apr. 7, 1896.

Ewen/Z221" (No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

W. 'BERRI. I MATRIX AND MATRIX DISTRIBUTING MECHANISM.

No. 557,541. Patehted Apr. 7, I896.

INVENTOH ATTORNEY (No Model.) a Sheets-Sheet 3.

W. BER-RI; MATRIX AND MATRIX DISTRIBUTING MECHANISM.

No. 557,541. .Patente dApr. '7, 1896.,

...----"" li ii iiii: 1 1 I 1 1 T INVENTOR I A TTOHNE Y I ANDREW BGRAHAMJKUYO-UWIQWASIIING'IUNDC.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

VILLIAM BERRI, OF BROOKLYN, NEIV YORK.

MATRIX AND MATRIX-DISTRIBUTING MECHANISM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 557,541, dated April 7, 1896.

Application filed March 10, 1893. $eria1No. 46 5,480. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM BERRI, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Matrices and Matrix- Distributing Mechanisms, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in matrices and matrixdistributing mechanisms, and it is the purpose of the invention particularly to provide mechanism whereby matrices differing one from the other in length will be separated by being moved over a grill or table which has slots of different lengths, according to the lengths of the different inatrices.

By appropriate carriers the matrices are moved over the grill in the direction from the shortest toward the longest slots. Therefore as each matrix comes to a slot of the proper length it falls through the grill into a magazine-tube, and as each character is formed on a matrix which has a different length from the matrix of every other character evidently this invention provides a very simple and effective means of distribution.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which similar reference figures and letters indicate corresponding parts in all the views. Figure 1 is a vertical sectional View on the line II of Fig. 3 of a preferred formof distributing-machine embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is avertical sectional View in line II II of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a plan View of the machine, partly broken away. The cam device shown in Fig. 1 is omitted in this View. Fig. 4 is a view of the table or platform on a smaller scale, with the openings for receiving the matrices. Fig. 5 is a view of the under side of the machine, also on a' small scale. a plan View of a trough for receiving the matrices from the magazine-tubes and on the same scale as Fig. 5. Fig. 7 is a plan view, partly broken away, of another form of machine embodying my invention. Fig. 8 is a longitudinal sectional view taken on line VIII VIII of Fig. 7 and in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 9. Fig. 9 is a cross-sectional view on line IX IX of Fig. 7 the carrier being advanced from the position shown in Figs. 7

and 5.

F1g. 6 1s.

and 8. Fig. 10 is a plan view of a modified form of the machine shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3, 4, Fig. 11 is a vertical sectional view on line XI XI of Fig. 10. Fig. 12 is a side view of a matrix adapted to be used with my machine. Fig. 13 shows edge views of several matrices of different lengths.

In Figs. 12 and 13 of the drawings I illustrate several matrices A of different lengths of a form well adapted to be used in connection with a machine embodying my principle of distributing and depending for its operation on the matrices of different characters being of different lengths and the same character always.having matrices of the same length. The matrix shown is of the form for which I have made an application for Letters Patent of the United States, and which application was filed in the Patent Oflice January 13, 1893, Serial No. 458,265.

In Figs. 1 to 6, inclusive, B represents a table or grill surrounding a cylinder 10, the upper portion of which extends out over the table B, forming a circular flange or ledge 11. The table B is formed with an inclination downward toward the cylinder 10, as shown,

and has in its surface a series of slots or openings 12 of graduated length, the series extending radially part way, preferably about half-way, around the cylinder 10, the slots being preferablyequally spaced and each slot beginning at the inner edge of the table B and extending out to aproper length, varying for the difierent slots from that of the short est, a, to that of the longest, l), and each slot corresponding in length with a certain inatri x. Oonnected'with each said slot 12 is a flat funnel-shaped tube 13 extending downward and leading to a magazine-tube 14.

For simplicity of drawing, only seventeen slots 12, each provided with its funnel-shaped tube 13 and magazine-tube 14, are shown; but in practice there will be one such slot with corresponding tubes 13 14 for each character, so that after distribution all the matrices having the same character will be collected in the same one of the magazine-tubes 14. It will be observed from Fig. 2 that the tubes 14, which I call magazine-tubes, are the lower practically-vertical parts of the same conduits which at their upper parts are fashioned into the funnel-shaped tubes 13.

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Above the table B, I provide a circular series of pockets or receptacles 20, arranged radially around the head of the cylinder 10 and over the slots 12 and supported and carried by a circular plate 21, which is carried by a shaft 22, journaled inthe heads of the cylinder 10, so that the lower parts of the pockets 20 just clear the surface of the table B. These pockets 20 are intended to receive the matrices as they are delivered from the delivcry-tube 23 and are formed with the bottoms and ends left open, and are preferably so spaced that when one of the pockets registers with one of the slots 12 there will be a pocket registering with each of the other slots 12 and one pocket registering with the deliverytube 23.

On the lower end of the shaft 22 I provide a ratchet-wheel 25, operated bya spring-actuated pawl or dog 26, as shown in Fig. 5. The pawl 26 is carried by a rod 27, which is operated by a bell-crank lever 28, which in turn is operated by a cam-wheel 29. These parts are so proportioned that with each throw of the bell-crank lever 28 the pockets 20 will be advanced a distance equal to the distance between two consecutive slots.

Connecting with the bell-crank lever 28 I arrange another bell-crank lever 30, which operates through the medium of a rod 31 an escapement-lever 32 for retaining and relieving the matrices in the delivery-tube 23, and so arranged that a matrix will be released just after each motion of the pockets and while the pockets are momentarily at rest.

It is to be understood that any other appropriate means may be employed for delivering the matrices at the proper intervals into the pockets 20 than the delivery-tube and escapement-lever shown.

I have shown in the drawings a funnelshaped trough 40 to receive the matrices as they are delivered from the magazine-tubes 14: by any appropriate means, (which I have not shown, as not being a part of my invention.) Suitable means, however, for feeding the matrices one at a time and in the proper order to spell any desired word or sentence into the said trough 40 are the keyboard and escapement-levers shown and described in m y application for Letters Patent of the United States, filed March 2, 1891, Serial No. 383,335, Patent No. 499,278. As will be well understood, each of the magazine-tubes 14: may be provided with such an escapement-lever operated in the well-known manner from the keyboard. As each matrix is fed into the trough 40 it drops therethrough into any suitable assembling-block, which is not described in this application because it is no part of this invention.

I show the magazine-tubes arranged in a semicircle and extending vertically down from the tubes 13, since this is a simple and convenient arrangement, although not indispensable to the use of my invention, and in connection with said arrangement I show the trough 40 in a novel and useful form and construction. In effect, the cross-sectional form of said trough is developed as a spiral, the rapidity of the curvature constantly increasing from the angle 6, where it is least, to f and g, where the curvature is sharpest. The effect is that the plane of any matrix fed to the trough 40 from any tube 14 makes an obtuse angle with the tangent of the said spiral at that point on the side toward 6, and this construction is very useful in turning every matrix parallel to the discharge-tubc 43 of said trough 40, and also so that the same edge of every matrix is presented to the mold in the operation of casting, for the matrices thus striking at an obtuse angle the edge which strikes the trough will be deflected toward the angle of the trough and bedelivered from the trough with that side uppermost which while it was in the magazine-tube was toward the center of the circle.

The operation of the machine is as follows: The matrices which it is desired to distribute are delivered in any appropriate manner into the delivery-tube 23, where they are retained by the escapement-lever 32. As the camwheel 29 revolves, being driven in any appropriate manner, and one of the cams engages the arm 28, the rod 27, carrying the pawl 26, will be thrown forward and the plate 21, carrying the pockets 20, will be revolved one step and stop with a pocket 20, register ing with each slot in the table B, and one of the said pockets registering with the deliverytube 23, the pockets 20 being held in position by the pawl 26 engaging the ratchet-wheel 25. As a cam passes beyond the arm 28, the bell-crank lever 28 and its connections will be drawn back by the spring 35 and the escapement-lever 32 will release one of the matrices in the delivery-tube 23, which will pass down and into a pocket 20, which is momentarily at rest opposite the tube 23, and one of the shoulders c of the matrix will catch on. the overhanging flange 11 of the head of the cylinder 10. As the next cam engages the bell-crank lever 28, the pockets will be advanced another step, and as the cam passes beyond the arm 28 another matrix in the delivery-tube will be released and enter the next pocket. As these movements continue the pockets revolve in the direction of the arrow, Figs. 3 and at. Each matrix which has entered one of the pockets has its inner end supported on the flange 11 and its outer end on the surface of the table B. Each matrix will be carried around until the slots 12 are reached, and then on over the slots and until its corresponding slot is reached, when, the outer end of the matrix being freed from its support and the pocket having come to a momentary rest and the inner end of said matrix being at first still supported by the flange 11, the matrix will plunge outer end first down the tube 13 and into its appropriate magazine-tube, all as will be readily understood by reference to the drawings. The

matrices are delivered from the tubes 14 to the trough 40 one by one, as needed, by means of the well-known escapement-lever 80 operated by the connecting-rod 81 and finger-key 82 in the well-known manner, there being one such escapement-lever, rod, and finger-key for each tube 14.

The inclination of the table B downward toward the center serves to keep the matrices as they are carried around always resting against and with their shoulders o engaging the flange 11.

In Figs. 7, 8, and 9 I illustrate a modified form of machine embodying my invention. In this form of machine I employ a straight table B, preferably inclined upward from the end 50 to the end 51 and also from the side 52 to the side 53. The series of parallel slots 55 are arranged in order of length, the shortest being nearest the lower end 50 of the table and increasing in length toward the higher end 51, and the ends of the slots nearer the front or lower side 52 of the table being all in a straight line parallel with the length of the table. An overhanging ledge 56, corresponding to the flange 11, is placed along the front edge of the table, extending out over the slots 55 to form a support for one end of the matrices. In this form of machine I have shown a carrier 60, open at the bottom and adapted to receive the matrices, as shown in Figs. 7 and 8, and arranged to be advanced up the inclined table B bya worm 61 or any other convenient means and to carry the matrices over the slots 55, the matrices being supported as before with one end resting on the surface of the table and the other end supported by the ledge 56 which projects into the recess in the end of the matrices. Each matrix as it is brought over its corresponding slot will drop end first into the corresponding tube leading to the proper magazine-tube, as will be clearly seen by reference to the drawings. The upward slant of the table B from end to end keeps the line of matrices as they are advanced in the carrier 60 always resting against the lower end 63 of the carrier and causes any gap made by the falling out of a matrix to be closed up, as will be readily understood, and the upward slant from side to side is to keep the matrices as they are advanced always resting on and against the ledge 56, as before.

Of course, instead of the carrier shown pockets such as described for my other form of machine here illustrated may be adapted to be used with this form of machine.

It will also be understood that instead of having the ledge 56 formed on the table B it might be formed as a part of the carrier 60.

In Figs. 10 and 11 I illustrate a form of machine embodying the principle of my invention, which is a modification of the machine shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5. In this form of machine'I employ a carrier'TO carried by the shaft 22, said carrier being formed with radial through-and-through slots 71, corresponding in position and function with the pockets 20. Instead of the ledge 11 I show here a little undercut ledge or shoulder 72, formed integral with the carrier 7 O at the inner end of each of the slots 71. The other parts of this form of machine are formed as already described for Figs. 1 to 5. The operation of this form of machine is essentially the same as that of the form of machine shown in 1 to 5, heretofore explained, as will be readily understood from the drawings, and need not be here repeated.

Now having described my improvements, I claim as my invention- 1. In matriX- distributing machines, the combination of a grill having slots of different lengths arranged in the order of length, an open-bottom carrier adapted to move over the grill in the direction of the increasing length of the slots, a ledge adjacent to one end of the slots and adaptedto momentarily sustain the corresponding ends of the matrices, and means for actuating the carrier, substantially as described.

2. In matrix-distributing machines, the combination of a grill provided with slotsof different lengths arranged in the order of length, a carrier having a bottomless receptacle for the matrices and adapted to move over the grill in the direction of increasing length of the slots, a ledge for momentarily supporting one end of the matrices, and devices for moving the carrier and feeding matrices thereto arranged to act in unison with each other, substantially as described.

3. In machines for distributing matrices, the combination of a grill having axial slots, a ledge to engage a socket in the matrices, and a carrier for the matrices adapted to rotate over the grill, substantially as described.

4. I11 machines for distributing matrices, the combination of a grill having radial slots, a ledge to engage a socket in the matrices, a carrier for the matrices adapted to rotate over the grill, and magazine-tubes leading from the slots in said grill, substantially as described. I

5. The combination of the radially-slotted grill, ledge, rotatable carrier, and feed devices for the matrices and rotating devices for the carrier timed in unison, substantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have signed my name, in presence of two witnesses, this 14th day of February, 1893.

WILLIAM BERRI.

\Vitn esses JAMES A. NOLAN, ARTHUR L. KENT. 

